No one with a plush, beautiful lawn wakes up in August and says “Criminy! My lawn is dead! Time to get a lawn care guy pronto”. The same is true for customer service in tech companies. Great customer service & support isn’t necessarily rocket science, but neither is gardening or cooking if you know what you’re doing. Success in those endeavors requires some knowledge, vision, preparation, and small amounts of time invested early and correctly. Continue reading →

I recently asked a customer in our kick-off meeting what their goals for the support team were. The answer:

1. Double productivity
2. Halve the cost
3. Create a “Wow” customer experience

That sounds neat, doesn’t it? Here’s the rub. They want to do this leveraging a virtual support team comprised of independent hourly contractors scattered throughout India, Dubai, etc. because they feel it’s cheaper and aligns with their overall business model.
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When I started Bootstrap Service I did so with the idea that many younger or emerging companies were doing themselves a disservice by not making the right choices and investments in their customer service or support efforts early enough in their evolution. It’s my belief that this approach forces companies to react to customer service activity rather than being proactive and getting prepared, resulting in far less agility and much higher costs in hard dollars, poor service delivery, lower customer satisfaction, and diluted brand value.

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I can’t recall a single time where telling the customer the likelihood of a successful outcome was just not in the cards. “Sorry but this is just an absolute train wreck and I can’t envision any scenario where you’ll be successful with our product. I say shut her down, wrap it up, pull the plug, lights out, and I’ll have Finance cut you a check”. It just doesn’t work that way. Wondering what’s possible and applying that energy to an action plan for customer success is far more powerful than pondering what cannot be done, what barriers stand in the way, or how much better things would be if only someone ELSE would change how they think or what they do.

This was a standard week for me in many ways. It was spent meeting new people and learning from them. It’s not hard to find people with interesting insights, knowledge, and know-how. With just a little bit of effort and an open mind a variety of people offer genuinely enlightening discussions. And to a person they are all pleasant and full of smiles and a willingness to help. We all have far more in common in this human experience we call life than we have differences. When I consider what threads were common through all of my introductions and discussions this week it was optimism and an eagerness to tackle the future.

I started Monday with a thank you note for an approval to move forward on building the first set of Support capabilities for a new software company in Austin that booked their first customer and is anxiously anticipating approvals on their 2^nd an 3^rd –future- customers. Wednesday I had a nice frosty beverage after work with a former colleague that was about to accept a Sales position to open some new markets in Texas. Thursday was spent in Dallas speaking with the leadership team of an absolutely terrific company that is profitable, happy, love what they do, and want the Service team to be better than they already are.

Friday afternoon was spent down at the UT campus with the chairman of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering talking about careers for students in Service. I was met with warmth, smiles, energy, and optimism. Oh, and Dr. Amblers distaste for Volvo service capabilities. ;-P I’ll likely end up giving a talk with some of them in the fall semester regarding the importance of the customer experience after the sale of a product, or how and why serviceability matters when you’re a design engineer.

I could focus on my check engine light unexpectedly coming on in the car this week. I could focus on the two prospects that decided to hold off on the RFP I sent. I could focus on any number of seemingly negative developments in my life or the life of others this week. But that mindset won’t get me or anyone else anywhere. And as I consider what has been common throughout my career that brought positive results vs. unwanted outcomes, it’s my frame of mind with family, friends, coworkers, and of course customers.

In the world of Service your mind matters. Focus on positive customer outcomes that are entirely attainable, build a plan, work the plan, refine the plan, and get cranking. Focus on the frame of mind and the metrics will follow.

My article contribution to Customer Management IQ is being featured on the site’s home page today – “Key Considerations for Implementing an Online Knowledge Base”

You can view the home page at this URL:

www.customermanagementiq.com

You can view the article directly here:

http://www.customermanagementiq.com/article.cfm?externalID=767

Are you taking your customers for granted? Here’s some trivia. What wildly successful businessman said this?

“These people are supporting us! …everything that has to do with the experience when they come in should be at the highest level that we can put it at. That’s been our approach traditionally and it hasn’t failed”

CEO of Southwest Airlines? Apple? Nordstrom’s? Nope. If you don’t know I’d understand. It’s Jerry Garcia, the late guitarist for the Grateful Dead during a 1993 pre-show interview in Las Vegas. Sting opened for them. But even if you don’t give two hoots about the Dead or their music, there’s a lesson in their approach that many businesses can learn from.

This past weekend the surviving members of The Grateful Dead returned to the stage in what’s generally viewed as a very successful first show. It’s interesting that a 40+ year old band can still garner an audience of devoted fans and sell out 20 shows in short order.

What’s their secret? Music, of course. But there’s more to it than that.

Watch this fun, chatty, ten minute interview with an articulate Jerry Garcia and you’ll understand some of the reasons The Grateful Dead were pulling in over 50 million a year in touring revenue alone. Except for the 2-3 minutes he discusses his health, Jerry is always focused on the experience of the audience. Jerry Garcia and his band-mates respected their audience, viewed them as intelligent and selective, and most importantly, never took them for granted.

One of my favorite exchanges comes in the last 30 seconds:

• Interviewer: “You still get nervous?”
• Jerry Garcia: “… I wouldn’t have any emotional attachment if I didn’t. I think it’s a bad idea to take a crowd of 30 or 40 thousand people for granted, ya know what I mean?”
• Interviewer: “It just seems like they’re ready. They’re gonna accept you”
• Jerry Garcia: “I think that’s a convenient illusion”

Do you respect your audience? Ahem, excuse me, I mean your customers?